Dolphin Ward: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) also known as Dolphin Ward lives within the Heart and Lung directorate. It has ten cots for babies and infants with a variety of conditions that require intensive care support  

We have two cubicles, all other beds are on the open ward area.

Around 500 babies a year from across the UK are treated on NICU.

• Intensive care admission information
• Leaving the Intensive Care Units at GOSH

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is located in the Variety Club Building.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Level 4, Variety Club Building Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great Ormond Street London WC1N 3JH 

If your child has any additional needs, please call in advance to let us know. 

NICU is led by a team of consultants (doctors), who specialise in Neonatal Intensive Care. 

Key staff 

• Speciality Lead: Simon Hannam
• Matron: Deborah Lees
• Lead Sisters: Annabel Linger & Emma Hart
• Family Liaison Sisters: Esther Rose, Emily Cantrell and Katie Dettmer 

Other staff who work on the ward include doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, students, health care assistants, ventilator technicians, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists, housekeepers, family liaison nurses, play specialists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, interpreters and volunteers. 

NICU treats babies and infants with a variety of serious medical and surgical conditions that require intensive care support. 
The special areas of expertise include:

• Neonates needing surgery for necrotising enterocolitis, bowel obstruction, oesophageal atresia and other congenital anomalies.
• Neonates with other complex medical and surgical problems such as laryngeal clefts, sacrococcygeal teratomas.
• Neonates with medical conditions, such as Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), Meconium aspiration syndrome 

You can learn more about our clinical specialty by visiting:

• Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit information for parents and visitors

Important information 

GOSH is a smoke-free zone, which means that you cannot smoke anywhere inside hospital property and adjacent areas, such as entrances to hospital buildings.

We will not tolerate any kind of inappropriate or threatening behaviour – verbal, physical or psychological – and we have a policy to ensure that this is dealt with appropriately. We can and will remove people from GOSH in these circumstances.